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Joint South Korea-US military command From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) is a joint warfighting headquarters comprising the Republic of Korea military and United States Forces Korea. It was established in 1978. During wartime it would serve as the operational command headquarters for all of the South Korean and U.S. ground, air, sea (including Marine) and special operations forces fighting on the Korean peninsula. Since November 2022 CFC has been headquartered at Camp Humphreys, in Pyeongtaek, Korea. Previously it was headquartered at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul.
| ROK/US Combined Forces Command | |
|---|---|
| 한미연합군사령부 | |
| |
| Active | 7 November 1978 – present (65 years, 11 months) |
| Country |  South Korea United States of America |
| Allegiance | South Korea United States of America |
| Engagements | Korean Conflict 1978-Present |
| Website | www.usfk.mil |
| Commanders | |
| Commander UNC/CFC/USFK |  GEN Paul J. LaCamera, USA |
| Deputy Commander CFC |  GEN Kang Shin-chul, ROKA |
| Chief Of Staff CFC |  LTG Christopher C. LaNeve, USA |
| Command Sergeant Major | CSM Jack H. Love, USA |
The CFC is commanded by a four-star U.S. Army general, with a four-star ROK Army general as deputy commander. This pattern exists throughout the CFC command structure: if the chief of a staff section is Korean, the deputy is American and vice versa.
The American general also serves, concurrently, as the Commander of United Nations Command and Commanding General, U.S. Forces Korea.
CFC's mission is to "Deter hostile acts of external aggression against the Republic of Korea by a combined military effort of the United States of America and the ROK; and in the event deterrence fails, defeat an external armed attack against the ROK." To accomplish this mission the CFC has operational control over more than 600,000 active-duty military personnel of all services, of both countries. In wartime this would expand to include some 3.5 million ROK reservists as well as additional U.S. forces deployed from outside the ROK.
Despite the impression of total American control of the Republic of Korea's armed forces via the CFC, during peacetime the Korean units are wholly independent. Only during wartime would the Korean military come under the operational command of the CFC. [1]
| No. | Commander | Term | Service branch | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
| 1 | General John W. Vessey Jr. (1922–2016) | 7 November 1978 | 10 July 1979 | 245 days |  U.S. Army | |
| 2 | General John A. Wickham Jr. (1928–2024) | 10 July 1979 | 4 June 1982 | 2 years, 329 days | U.S. Army | |
| 3 | General Robert W. Sennewald (1929–2023) | 4 June 1982 | 1 June 1984 | 1 year, 363 days | U.S. Army | |
| 4 | General William J. Livsey (1931–2016) | 1 June 1984 | 25 June 1987 | 3 years, 24 days | U.S. Army | |
| 5 | General Louis C. Menetrey Jr. (1929–2009) | 25 June 1987 | 26 June 1990 | 3 years, 1 day | U.S. Army | |
| 6 | General Robert W. RisCassi (born 1936) | 26 June 1990 | 15 June 1993 | 2 years, 354 days | U.S. Army | |
| 7 | General Gary E. Luck (1937–2024) | 15 June 1993 | 9 July 1996 | 3 years, 24 days | U.S. Army | |
| 8 | General John H. Tilelli Jr. (born 1941) | 9 July 1996 | 9 December 1999 | 3 years, 153 days | U.S. Army | |
| 9 | General Thomas A. Schwartz (born 1945) | 9 December 1999 | 1 May 2002 | 2 years, 143 days | U.S. Army | |
| 10 | General Leon J. LaPorte (born 1946) | 1 May 2002 | 3 February 2006 | 3 years, 278 days | U.S. Army | |
| 11 | General B.B. Bell (born 1947) | 3 February 2006 | 3 June 2008 | 2 years, 121 days | U.S. Army | |
| 12 | General Walter L. Sharp (born 1952) | 3 June 2008 | 14 July 2011 | 3 years, 41 days | U.S. Army | |
| 13 | General James D. Thurman (born 1953) | 14 July 2011 | 12 October 2013 | 2 years, 80 days | U.S. Army | |
| 14 | General Curtis M. Scaparrotti (born 1956) | 2 October 2013 | 30 April 2016 | 2 years, 211 days | U.S. Army | |
| 15 | General Vincent K. Brooks (born 1958) | 30 April 2016 | 8 November 2018 | 2 years, 192 days | U.S. Army | |
| 16 | General Robert B. Abrams (born 1960) | 8 November 2018 | 2 July 2021 | 2 years, 236 days | U.S. Army | |
| 17 | General Paul LaCamera (born 1963) | 2 July 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 107 days | U.S. Army | |
| No. | Deputy Commander | Term | Service branch | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
| 1 | General Lew Byong-hyun (1924–2020) | 7 November 1978 | 18 December 1979 | 1 year, 41 days |  R.O.K. Army | |
| 2 | General Baek Seok-ju (1923–2017) | 21 December 1979 | 28 August 1981 | 1 year, 250 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 3 | General Park No-yeong (1930–2012) | 8 September 1981 | 30 August 1983 | 1 year, 356 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 4 | General Lee Sang-hoon (born 1933) | 30 August 1983 | 1 September 1985 | 2 years, 1 day | R.O.K. Army | |
| 5 | General Han Chul-soo (born 1935) | 1 September 1985 | 30 August 1987 | 1 year, 363 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 6 | General Jung Jin-tae (born 1934) | 30 August 1987 | 6 April 1989 | 1 year, 219 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 7 | General Na Joong-bae (1936–2018) | 6 April 1989 | 27 December 1990 | 1 year, 265 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 8 | General Kim Jin-young (born 1938) | 27 December 1990 | 3 December 1991 | 341 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 9 | General Kim Dong-jin (born 1938) | 3 December 1991 | 9 March 1993 | 1 year, 96 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 10 | General Kim Jae-chang (born 1940) | 31 March 1993 | 19 April 1994 | 1 year, 41 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 11 | General Chang Sung (born 1939) | 19 April 1994 | 21 October 1996 | 2 years, 185 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 12 | General Kim Dong-shin (born 1941) | 21 October 1996 | 28 March 1998 | 1 year, 158 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 13 | General Jung Yeong-moo (born 1943) | 28 March 1998 | 28 April 2000 | 2 years, 31 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 14 | General Lee Jong-ok (born 1944) | 28 April 2000 | 10 April 2002 | 1 year, 347 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 15 | General Nam Jae-jun (born 1944) | 10 April 2002 | 4 April 2003 | 359 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 16 | General Shin Il-soon (born 1948) | 4 April 2003 | 2 June 2004 | 1 year, 59 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 17 | General Kim Jang-soo (born 1948) | 2 June 2004 | 31 March 2005 | 302 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 18 | General Lee Hee-won (1948–2018) | 31 March 2005 | 21 November 2006 | 1 year, 235 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 19 | General Kim Byung-kwan (born 1948) | 21 November 2006 | 28 March 2008 | 1 year, 128 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 20 | General Lee Sung-chool (born 1949) | 28 March 2008 | 21 September 2009 | 1 year, 177 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 21 | General Hwang Ui-don (born 1953) | 21 September 2009 | 24 June 2010 | 276 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 22 | General Jeong Seung-jo (born 1953) | 24 June 2010 | 24 October 2011 | 1 year, 122 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 23 | General Kwon Oh-sung (born 1955) | 24 October 2011 | 27 September 2013 | 1 year, 338 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 24 | General Park Sun-woo (born 1957) | 27 September 2013 | 17 September 2015 | 1 year, 355 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 25 | General Kim Hyun-jip (born 1957) | 17 September 2015 | 22 September 2016 | 1 year, 5 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 26 | General Leem Ho-young (born 1959) | 22 September 2016 | 11 August 2017 | 323 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 27 | General Kim Byung-joo (born 1962) | 11 August 2017 | 17 April 2019 | 1 year, 249 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 28 | General Choi Byung-hyeok (born 1963) | 17 April 2019 | 23 September 2020 | 1 year, 159 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 29 | General Kim Seung-kyum (born 1963) | 23 September 2020 | 27 May 2022 | 1 year, 246 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 30 | General Ahn Byung-suk (born 1967) | 27 May 2022 | 31 October 2023 | 1 year, 157 days | R.O.K. Army | |
| 31 | General Kang Shin-chul (born 1968) | 31 October 2023 | Incumbent | 352 days | R.O.K. Army | |
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